Adventure in Lycia
by Kikuri
Summary: Matthew/Tactician. My version of some of the events in Rekka no Ken.
1. Fateful Encounter

Another fanfic? Yes, because I probably gave up on my first one. This time, this is a fanfic of a fandom that I am still addicted too. I will try to update more frequently, though no promises.

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><p>I was taking a walk outside, just looking at my surroundings, although there's not much to look at. Well, I never slept early anyway. It's been only a few days, but things have been picking up a lot lately. I would never have expected to have a traveling companion, let alone the long lost granddaughter of Marquess Caelin herself! It was quite a shock for me, and Lyn as well. We all decided to travel to Caelin and find her bedridden grandfather, and today we decided to pass through Taliver Mountain.<p>

We had met a Pegasus Knight there named Florina. She's quite shy, but she is sweet once you get to know her, though she is _very_ afraid of men. She also happened to be Lyn's best friend, so everything works out in the end. I also came across a potentially good archer, Wil, who seemed to have given us a nickname- _Lyndis's Legions. _He's funny one, but enjoyable to be with.

Then there's that thief, though an odd one at that. He's sociable and all, but I noticed that he never talked much about himself. Normally I'd suspect that he probably is a bit uncomfortable about his past, but his personality largely disagrees with that. I would know, of course, because I have a bit of experience about body language. It's a nifty skill if you want to know what about your enemy's attack pattern.

Just as I passed my tent, however, the thief himself suddenly ran out of it clutching something in his hand.

_'What was he doing in here…?'_

I quickly went inside to check my belongings. Nothing seemed to be out of order at first, but after a while, I noticed that some of the things that I laid out on the floor had been slightly disarranged. I tried to recall what was on it and that's when it hit me.

I was missing a map. It was a map of Lycia, and it had all the different routes to the different Houses in the Lycian League. It's quite useful if you plan on traveling all throughout Lycia. It wouldn't have been a big deal if it was stolen, since I could always buy another one, but this map in particular had ALL the routes, including those that are not found in most maps. I definitely needed to get it back.

"MATTHEW!" I yelled out, although I slightly regretted it afterwards, in fear of waking the others from their well-deserved sleep.

I ran as fast as I could trying to chase him. He was certainly faster than most people. I guess that's what you would expect from thief, or maybe even a spy. Matthew took a sharp turn, but luckily I was barely able to catch him. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty fast myself.

"Aw, caught me already? You're quite the swift runner." Matthew said, complimenting, in a way, although I was too tired to feel complimented.

"Hand over… the map… Matthew…" I said, panting between words.

"Alright, you win. Though I must say, not many people can catch up to me." He said, handing over the map. Thank St. Elimine that it wasn't damaged.

"Why'd you steal it, anyway? You could have just asked you know. I would be more than happy to lend it to you." I said.

"Well, I think it's more fun this way, isn't it? It's a sort of habit of mine."

_'W-what did he say?'_

I was slightly taken by surprise. Well, then again, that's what you would expect from a man with such a personality, but what surprised me is how much he resembled a late friend of mine.

"Wow, you're really just like him…" I mutter out loud, slightly reminiscing about my past.

"What now?"

"Ah! Nothing. Anyway, why would you want a map of Lycia? I'm fairly sure you have one of your own, and even if you didn't, they aren't very expensive either."

"Well, I was just curious about that map of yours. I noticed a few different paths there that I didn't see in my map while you were reading it earlier during the meeting. "

"Really, now? Well you can borrow it if you want." I say, lending him the map. "Just don't damage it. Ir's quite rare. Anyway, now that we're actually talking, mind telling me a bit about yourself?" I ask, thinking it was the perfect chance. _'Maybe he would be more open if I asked him directly.'_

"Now, why would Lady Tactician want to know about a person like me?" He asks, with a smug on his face. Somehow it mildly irritates me.

I'm a tactician. It's best to know your comrades well, so you can find out their strengths and weaknesses, which makes it easier to know where to assign you in the battlefield." I explained. "Oh, and Ione will do."

"Quite the thinker. Well, Ione, there's nothing you need to know about a petty house thief like me so you can go along now and leave me be."Matthew wittily replied as he was about to leave the area.

Quickly thinking, I thought of something that may catch his attention.

"Well, that's too bad. Knowing Lyn, she would have probably kicked you out if I hadn't said that you would be useful, especially during that situation. Why, you could be a spy, for all we know. Lyn certainly wouldn't like that."

Matthew stopped on his tracks.

_'Bull's-eye.'_

He turned around and faced me, with a slight smile on his face.

"Hm, touché, Ione." He says, though for some reason, it gave me a good feeling inside. Maybe it was the feeling of triumph...? "Well if you must know, I'm…a traveler of sorts. I like to collect information around these parts." He said. Now he really seemed suspicious.

"Sounds like a spy to me." I remarked.

"Well I assure you, you can trust me all you want." He says back. For some reason, I found it hard not to believe. It must have been that personality of his rubbing off on me.

"Hm. Well, if you're not willing to share anything else than I guess that explanation is good enough for now, though don't expect me to stop asking you about that mysterious background of yours."

We both chuckled a bit.

"Haha, if you say so. I have a feeling that we're going to be good friends." He said.

"Yes, I suppose so." I said back, with a smile.

We bid each other a farewell and went our separate ways. I noticed that it must have been quite late already, since it was Sain's turn to be the lookout. I went inside my tent, quietly, making sure not to disturb anyone, and finally went to sleep.

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><p>Still too short, no? I suck at describing things. Still, reviews will be greatly appreciated. That way I'll actually know what I'm doing wrong.<p> 


	2. Dialogue, dialogue everywhere

Second chapter, filled with a crapload of dialogue.

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><p>We spent the whole day traveling to Caelin. Not much happened though, except for a few bandits and whatnot, but otherwise, it was actually quite peaceful. Caelin is not too far from here, but everyone was exhausted, so we decided to camp for the night.<p>

I was taking another of my walks again, just admiring the surroundings, as usual. Well, I would actually be sleeping just like everyone else, if it weren't for Serra. She's just so...I don't even know how to describe her. Being one of the few females in our group, _I _had to share a room with her, meaning I had to struggle with her extremely conceited way of talking. She is very bothersome, although deep inside, she does have a heart, so she isn't that bad. If only she would just…shut…up.

Getting tired of walking, I decided to sit on the ground. Eventually I found myself lying down and staring at the stars. It was quite a beautiful sight. Normally there wouldn't be too many stars in the night sky, and even if there were, I wouldn't really notice them much.

Just then, I heard a few footsteps at my back. Slightly alarmed, I immediately sat up and turned to my back, to see Matthew looking straight at me.

"Well, didn't expect to see you here." He said.

"Oh, staying up late too, huh. Just like always." I remark.

Actually, ever since that fateful encounter, Matthew and I did become good friends. Mostly we'd talk at night, when both of us are still awake. He'd still try to steal my things occasionally, but he does it in lighthearted manner, so it doesn't irritate me as much. After a while, I even got him to tell me where he came from. He said he was from Ostia, just like me. It was really such a strange coincidence, mostly because of how similar he was with my late friend, in terms of personality.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Sure." I said back. "No one's complaining."

Matthew lied down beside me and looked towards the sky. I felt myself blush a little, for some unknown reason, but I quickly dismissed it. At least it was to dark for Matthew to see it.

"The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" He commented.

"Yes, I agree. In fact, it reminds me of before back when I was still in Ostia." I stated. Funny, at that moment, I noticed that Ostia is what both of us talk about most of the time when we're alone.

"Ostia, huh. Say, what did you do back there? You know, you don't talk much about yourself either, except maybe to Lyn, as I noticed."

"Well, I'm not exactly too comfortable with my past, and Lyn IS a close friend, but I guess I'll tell you a few things, in exchange of course."

"Exchange? Sheesh Ione, I'm actually a tad bit scared." He said, laughing afterwards.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ manipulative!"

"Really? Well you definitely tell a different story on the battlefield. Who knows what a clever lady like you would do out there."

Matthew laughed again. Was I really that bad in the battlefield? Being myself, I immediately dismissed that thought, and said a comeback.

"Oh shut up. I just wanted you to stop stealing my things for a week, at least. Would it really hurt to just ask if you could borrow something? I already said it was fine with me."

"Oh come on. You know me, Ione. Besides, you always have that funny look on your face whenever you find out something's missing."

Matthew chuckled to himself, which irritated me a lot. I could not help but feel annoyed and flustered at the same time.

"Still, I accept." Now that slightly took me by surprise. "I'll stop stealing if you tell me a bit about your past. Like I said, you're quite the mysterious character yourself."

"Okay then, a deal's a deal. Well, back in Ostia, I lived in a small village. My father was one of the best strategists in Ostia, actually. He used to be the one of the army's top tacticians, until he was left handicapped during battle. After that, he just spent the rest of his life playing Chess, though he was quite adept at it. He even taught me about different strategies at an early age. After a while I became fairly good at it too."

"Hm, I see. Your father must have been quite the tactician, seeing as you inherited some of his skills as well." Matthew said, in a complimenting way.

"Flatter me all you want, but it was my father who had the skills, not me. I am bound to make miscalculations, while my father on the other hand would have never made any mistakes even if his life depended on it."I said back.

There was a short silence afterwards. I couldn't help but feel ashamed of myself, because of what happened back then. It was a painful experience, and I did not want to recall it.

After a few moments, Matthew began to speak.

"Hey, Ione. Did something happen to your father?"

Another short silence passed, which abruptly ended when I answered his question.

" Yes, actually. A few years ago my father, along with my mother and a few other villagers were killed when a large number of brigands arrived. Not only were they out for bloodlust, but greed too. They tried to steal all the gold around, and then they got to my father while I was still out with a friend. When we came back, I became in charge directing some of our fighters, since I was the only tactician left. My friend directed the other villagers for escape. Everything went well at first, but…I ended up making a grave mistake."

"I'm sorry for your loss. You must have been through quite a lot." He said in a sympathetic tone, although I could tell he wanted to know more.

"It doesn't bother me as much now. I have learned to cope with it through time." I said, though I was completely lying. It really did still bother me, and I never did forgive myself for that incident.

"Well, that's enough reminiscing for now." I quickly said, trying to change the subject. "I'm feeling a bit sleepy, so I'll go back to my tent."

I stood up and patted my robes to remove the dust and quickly left the area before he could object further. After a few minutes, I reached my tent and went inside quietly, so not to disturb anyone. As I lied down, I started thinking about that tragic experience once again. Sadness took over me for a moment, as I felt a small tear running down my face. I would have never forgiven myself for making that mistake, the mistake that cost so many precious lives, including the one that I loved.

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><p>Mmm-hmm. Lots of text there. I feel like I may be moving things too fast, and maybe my OC is Mary Sue-ish. Well, I'll try to put some more action in the next chapter, and interactions with people aside from Matthew. R&amp;R please, I still think I suck at this.<p> 


	3. Dream Sequence, hooray for cliches

Third chapter. I'm doing this for that one person who added this to her story alerts. You have my thanks.

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><p>When having nightmares, one usually wakes up at the brink of the moment, supposedly the most terrifying part. In my case, however, waking up doesn't seem to be an option. I was still asleep, having another nightmare about the past. Strangely enough, this doesn't happen very often, yet of all times for it to occur, it had to be the night when I had that little chat with Matthew.<p>

I was out in the market, along with my supposedly deceased friend, Luke, though apparently, he seems to be very well alive in this dream. Luke was quite the mischievous person, yet cunning at the same time. As I previously noted many times before, he was very much like Matthew. He had that certain charm in his personality that would somehow attract people like me. Nevertheless, we still remained close friends, and nothing more.

By the time we arrived back in the village, everything was in complete chaos. There were a number of dead bodies lying around, and there were bandits terrorizing the villagers everywhere. Some of our fighters were fending them off while other villagers tried to escape. Everything was completely disorganized, but before I could even think of a strategy, I quickly ran to my home as fast as I could.

I slammed the door open, hoping for the best, but instead, everything turned out for the worst.

My father and my mother were lying on the floor, with a large pool of blood slowly flowing out of their bodies. There was clearly no life left in them. In other words, they were killed. Now as I stated earlier, this is supposed to be the part where most people wake up, but in my case, things just get worse.

Before I could even let out my tears, Luke suddenly came running in, saying that everyone was in need of tactician right at that moment; however he was then dismayed by the scene portrayed in front of his eyes. At last, my tears started flowing out. Luke moved towards me and gave me a hug and said a few words in my ear, but quickly dispersed due to the impending danger.

We then separated ourselves. I went towards the hoard of fighters, thinking of a good strategy while Luke went towards the villagers to help escort them safely.

Just as I gave out my orders, I was soon spotted by a lone bandit. The bandit started running towards me. I hurriedly ran to a nearby alley, but it gave little to aid my situation. I hit a dead end, while the bandit was swiftly approaching. He inched closer and closer, taking out his steel axe. I was completely stuck, no where to run. The bandit raised his axe, and-

"Erk! Where are you? Come out and start serving me!"

My eyes flew open from the sound of Serra's astoundingly irritating voice. It's a wonder how Erk manages to endure her. I stood up from my mat and stretched my arms. After yawning a bit, I decided to go out and eat. Though usually I would get a bit cranky when someone wakes me from my slumber, this time I'm actually thankful. I decided to keep this in mind and try to tolerate Serra, at least for the day.

"Oh, Ione. There you are! Can you believe that Erk actually ran away from me? How could he disrespect such a charming and beautiful woman who clearly has authority over him? Ah, my breathtaking beauty may be too much for him to handle."

You know what, scratch that. This cleric is nearly impossible.

"Yes. Your beauty is very overwhelming." I replied, very sarcastically, sighing afterwards.

"Oh, I suppose that is to be expected. It may as well be a crime. Why, all men are doomed to be bewitched by my charm…"

'_Drat. This conversation could go for hours.'_

Luckily, I spotted Matthew by a corner and I quickly thought of an escape plan.

"Oh look, Serra," I began to say, cutting her off from her extremely conceited prattle. "Isn't that Matthew? I think he'd _love_ to be dazzled by your, um, charm."

Before she noticed, I swiftly crept away from her, making sure of our distance before I was finally able to walk leisurely again.

While walking on my way to the supply tent, I came across Lyn, looking as determined as ever.

"Good morning, Ione. Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"Erm, not exactly. I actually had a nightmare this time. Luckily, Serra woke me up with that rambunctious voice of hers." I replied. For some reason, Lyn looked slightly surprised with my statement, but I could tell she was also curious.

"Well, no wonder you looked a bit anxious. Care to share with me what happened? Honestly, you never struck me as the type to have nightmares."

"Haha, I guess I give out quite an impression. I'll tell you about it as soon as I get myself some breakfast."

I went inside the supply tent, looking for some food to eat. After some scavenging, I had decided to eat two apples. Finished with my business, I went outside and met up with Lyn.

Before I could meet up with her, however, I was soon caught by Matthew, much to my misfortune.

"Hey! Ione!" He called out, slightly angry.

"Good morning, Matthew." I greeted, as innocently as possible. "What seems to be the problem?"

"OH nothing. I just wanted to thank you for telling Serra how _eager_ I was to hear about her _astonishing _beauty."

I let out a laugh.

"Hey! This is no laughing matter. You should know how difficult it is to avoid her."

"Oh really?" I said, trying to hold back my laugh. "I thought both of you were _such_ good friends."

"Please, do not ever make such a horrifying assumption ever again."

I chuckled a bit. "Haha, but really, though. I was desperate. You know how she is."

"Yes, but that does not necessarily mean you have to give her away to me."

"I apologize for that…sort of. Well, I best be going now. I told Lyn that I would talk to her after I got myself a meal."

"Hey! Wait!"

I slipped away from the area and quickly strolled along the path. Finally, I found Lyn's tent and went inside.

"What took you so long?" Lyn asked.

"Matthew spoke a few words with me along the way." I replied, taking a bite out of an apple afterwards.

"Well, anyway, tell me about that nightmare of yours." She said.

"Right. Well, this nightmare happened to be about my past. It was that incident I told you about."

"Oh. I'm sorry. That must have been a horrible experience, but didn't you mention that it doesn't bother you as much?"

"Yes, I did say that…" I take a last bit out of my first apple. I then move on to the next. "-but…well…things change I guess. That night, I told Matthew about my past, in exchange for him to stop stealing my belongings, but apparently, this time I couldn't get that incident out of my head. Even now, that scene replays over and over inside my mind."

"I…see. Well, I just want to let you know that I'll always be here for you, okay? We've been through similar experiences, but that's what makes our bond grow stronger."

I had to agree with that. The fact that both of us were alone for quite some time, it's a similarity that makes us good friends.

"…You're right. Thanks for listening. We should probably go now, though. We need to meet up with the others and make a new strategy for our route to Caelin." I said.

"Agreed. My grandfather won't be living any longer if we don't get there fast. Let's go!"

Lyn and I stepped outside and walked towards the designated area.

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><p>Yeah...not really a good ending sentence there. I would love it if you would review.<p> 


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